Conococheague Audubon Society

PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222

ConAudubon@outlook.com

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October 2025 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , ,

Temperatures are drifting a little lower in the area, and there are good reports of migrating birds.

September 25, 2025 marked a new record night for Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdCast. The migration tool recorded more than 1.2 billion birds. Amazing!

Many thanks to Joe and Vanessa Miller for leading a group of 12 who cleaned up a 2-mile stretch of PA Route 997 on Saturday, September 27. Before our first meeting of the year, Ron George and Tracy Snyder helped 10 participants see and identify 10 species of birds around St. Luke’s. Maybe we should make that an annual event…

We are seeking volunteers for several positions: Conservation Chair, Hospitality Chair, President, Vice President, and Treasurer. Please contact me to offer your services. We need you! If you would like to help take Greencastle-Antrim students on a bird walk at Tayamentasachta on Monday, October 20, please contact Terri Kochert [terri.kochert81@gmail.com or 717-263-3692].

Our only October activities are the regular meeting on Monday, October 13 and SOAR Bird Walks on the first and third Saturdays (4 and 18 October). Youth Contest Bird Photos and Lists are due at 6:45 PM at the regular meeting. Members Jeff and Sue Schmaltz will present 5 Years of Birding in our Mobile Home at 7 PM. At the November 10 meeting, we’ll announce youth contest winners and enjoy Kyle Rambo’s Big Year 2024 program. Our regular meetings occur at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church (off Route 997, near Scotland exit off I-81) 2695 Luther Dr, Chambersburg, PA 17202. Please join us in person or via Zoom. We welcome everyone.

Thanks to all who have made a donation. If you haven’t yet, please send your check to Conococheague Audubon Society, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Good birding!

September 2025 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Monthly MessageTagged

The past several days in August have been fall-like, with cooler temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Shorebirds are coming through, so migration is happening, too. You never know what may drop into your yard, so inspect your visitors carefully!

Our activities are ramping up, so check the calendar on this site to see what’s happening. Here’s one extra event not on our calendar:

Thursday, September 11: A special invitation from Conococheague Institute. Step into the past and celebrate the season at the Conococheague Institute’s fall TACC Mixer, where we’ll be showcasing a taste of their upcoming 1775: Harvest on the Homestead event! Falconer Patrick Miller of Miller’s Wildlife will be bringing his feathered friends with him!  September 11th 5pm to 7pm TACC Mixer at CI

  • You should have received the annual fundraising letter and this season’s Activities List. Thanks to all who have responded with a donation. For those who haven’t yet, please make whatever contribution you can and mail it to CAS, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222.

Current volunteer opportunities include Hospitality Chair and Conservation Chair; see the latest Naturally for what’s involved in each position. Three officers are ready to step down as well: Valerie Barnes from being President, Lisa Coombs from being Vice President, and Donna Hocker from being Treasurer. Please contact an officer ASAP with questions and/or to volunteer.

Good birding!

August 2025 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Conservation, Get Involved, Monthly MessageTagged ,

I hope you are having a wonderful summer filled with good birds and fun outings. Things are pretty quiet in my yard, with a surprise Ovenbird popping in for a quick visit last week. Young Woodpeckers continue to explore the world in their dorky ways.

Joe and Vanessa Miller have volunteered to organize our highway clean-up day on September 27, 2025.  This is part of PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program. We have “adopted” 2 miles of PA-997 from I-81 west to Main Street, Scotland. It is easy walking on wide shoulders. Supplies are provided. Meet at 9 AM at the Scotland Park & Ride, I-81 northbound exit 20.  Even if you are unable to pick up trash, we need a driver to shuttle supplies, and we need a pickup truck to carry filled bags. Please join us to help beautify PA. Contact Joe and Vanessa at 717-377-6507 or millerhouse@embarqmail.com.

Bill Oyler will lead our first field trip of the season on Monday, September 1 for FALL MIGRANTS. Meet at 7:15 AM at the Park & Ride, Scotland Exit 20, I-81 northbound. Field trip includes walking in wet grass at Heisey Orchard and other possible walks as we travel Michaux SF roads, with field trip ending by 1:00 PM. Bring binoculars and snack or lunch. Bill Oyler, 717-360-5191, oylerbill@gmail.com.

Year-round SOAR (Studying Ornithology Around the Region) walks continue at 8:00 AM on the first and third Saturdays at various locations in Franklin County. Larry and Sharon Williams, 717-655-7414; or Buttonwood Nature Center, 717-762-0373, https://buttonwoodnaturecenter.org/ .

The first regular meeting for our new season will be on September 8. Ron George and Tracy Snyder will dazzle us with excellent bird photos to illustrate their Bird is A Verb program – terrific for beginning and experienced birders alike. They’ll start the evening earlier than usual, at 6 PM, with birding outside St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church; so, bring friends and family who are new to birding! . Bring binoculars if you have them. The meeting will start, as usual, at 7:00 PM.

We have a new logo depicting a Northern Cardinal. Now you can support Conococheague Audubon Society by making a donation and selecting a hat! Three colors of the baseball-style hat are available – Royal Blue, Khaki crown with Royal Blue bill, or Khaki crown with Charcoal bill. All are 6-panel, unstructured, low-profile garment-washed cotton, with a mesh lining and a tuck-away leather back strap and buckle. One size fits all. We’re asking for a donation of $20 to defray the cost. Come to a meeting to see the hats in person and select the ones you want. Decals depicting the new logo are also available.

We’ve finalized the Activities List for the upcoming season and will be mailing it to you soon, along with our annual fundraising letter. Please make whatever contribution you can and mail it to CAS, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222.

Volunteer opportunities include Hospitality Chair and Conservation Chair. Three officers are ready to step down as well: Valerie Barnes from being President, Lisa Coombs from being Vice President, and Donna Hocker from being Treasurer. Please contact an officer ASAP with questions and/or to volunteer.

We’ll be posting the new activities on this website over the coming weeks, so check the calendar for updates and details.

December 2024 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Monthly MessageTagged ,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of good food and family traditions. Perhaps you saw some good birds in November, too. A Hermit Thrush and a pair of Eastern Bluebirds stop by my yard every now and then, and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and a Brown Creeper are here more regularly. The leaves from my oak trees are mostly down, and the (non-native) Burning Bush has no berries left. I was remiss in not discouraging you from planting Burning Bush. They are not native and can become really invasive. You might try a native viburnum or native shrub dogwood instead. There will be a list of good options in an upcoming Naturally newsletter.

Just in time for holiday gift-giving, at the December meeting we will display more than 20 fine art prints from the collection of Jim and Deb Wheeling. The Wheelings are generously donating the prints to Conococheague Audubon, and we are offering them to you. Any voluntary contribution would be welcome. The prints will be available for viewing starting at 6:30 PM.

At our December program, Diversity in the Andes, Debby Hook and Terri Kochert will highlight the spectacular plumage of bird species in “the birdiest place in the world.” After learning how folks in Colombia and Ecuador are benefiting from birding tourism, the program will finish with a colorful slide show of beautiful equatorial birds. The meeting will take place at 7 PM on Monday, December 9 at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church, (off Route 997, near Scotland exit off I-81) 2695 Luther Dr, Chambersburg, PA 17202. You may also participate via Zoom.

Conservation Chair John Greer reports that the legislature passed and the Governor signed a bill this summer that directs PENNDOT to landscape state-owned roads using native plants. This new law will benefit the public by reducing pollution run-off and beautifying our roadways.

John also reports that the legislature included $50 million for the Clean Streams Fund, which extends the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) in the state’s budget for fiscal year 2024-25.  ACAP will receive $35.75 million of the $50 million.  Under ACAP, decisions to reduce agricultural pollution run-off are made at the local conservation district level.

If you haven’t already, please consider donating to Conococheague Audubon to keep things rolling. Mail your donation to CAS at PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Good birding and Happy Holidays!

  Valerie Barnes, President

November 2024 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Monthly Message, News, ZoomTagged , , , ,

We certainly had a gloriously sunny October! November is here and, hopefully, we’ll get some rain. Keep your eyes peeled for waterfowl, late migrants, and winter visitors. A Hermit Thrush has been popping by my yard, drinking from the birdbath and eating berries from the Burning Bush.

At our next regular meeting at 7 PM on Monday, November 11, we’ll announce the winners of this year’s youth contests. Then, member Becky Loncosky will present a program on “Breeding Bird Surveys in our National Parks: Catoctin’s Top Ten”. As usual, the meeting will be held at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church, (off Route 997, near Scotland exit off I-81) 2695 Luther Dr, Chambersburg, PA 17202. You may also participate via Zoom.

We didn’t have space in the recent Naturally for Terri’s article about the first free nature film of the season, so you can find it here. Please come join us at CAMS South, 1151 East McKinley St, Chambersburg, on Thursday, November 14 at 7 PM for ”Islands of Wonder – Madagascar.” It sounds like a fascinating place!

From our friends at the Conococheague Institute, we bring you this announcement: Saturday, November 9th, 12:00pm to 8:00pm, 30th Anniversary: Bonfire Night. 12995 Bain Rd, Mercersburg, PA 17236.

Learn about the history of the event with Guy Fawkes, engage in Tavern song and dance, games and festivities, archery, wildlife, food and drink, all culminating in an evening Bonfire program at 7pm. There will be craft vendors and food trucks available throughout the day, a special children’s entertainment performance by Ray Owens, a birds of prey presentation by Miller’s Wildlife and much more! Matthew Wedd at Conococheague Institute shares that the falconer will be doing his presentation at 4 pm, and he’ll have a great horned owl with him.

Check this website for updates and maps to all locations.

If you haven’t already, please consider donating to Conococheague Audubon to keep things rolling. Mail your donation to CAS at PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Good birding!

  Valerie Barnes, President

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